A LIVELY INCIDENT IN AMERICAN RAILWAY TRAVELLING.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 713, 11 January 1877, Page 3

A LIVELY INCIDENT IN AMERICAN RAILWAY TRAVELLING.

Raiway /traveling m the United States is sometimes enlivened by stirring incidents that must considerably relievo the monotony of the journey. ; One of these scenes, which occurred on the 4th of August, at Ogallala, is reported as follows m the '• Omaha Herald." At about two o'clock m the morning, when the train was atOgallala, a passenger got on board and took a berth fgt the sleeper. He jumped oh to the train m darkness after it had lett the platform, and immediately got into his berth without removing any of his clothes except his boots. He .acted as though something would catch him, and something did catch him at the next station. Ogallala is the great shipping point for cattle on the line of the Union Pacific, and is much frequsnted at times by cattle dealer*?. The mysterious passenger, who was a professed gambler, had managed to extract about 10,000 dols. from the pockets of the cattle dealers. He then sneaked off with his big stake. The enraged cattle dealers were, howevfer, by no means prepared to lose sight of their money m this way, and telegraphed the particulars to some triends m Alkali — the next j station — of the same resolute stamp as themselves. When the train arrived from Ogallala the cattle-dealers' resolute friends were on the look out for the gambler. They immediately itook possession of the coming train and tearing through it found the object, of their search innocently pretending to sleep m his berth about the middle of the Pullman car. The "'trouble' then commenced. The gambler refused to leave the car. The cattle m?n declared they would take him, and directed his attention to a male standing quietly m the moonlight, with a long rope coiled up on the saddle' The bell rang to start, when matters where precipitated by all parties drawing revolvers and beginning to shoot promiscuously; Curtains were torn down, frightened passengers tumbled out to e3cape the whistling bullets, and the utmost confusion reigned ; women ser earned, and every bo I y was rushing out of the cars by. windows and doors ; and soon the prairie -was covered with white robed lortns flitting like ghosts m the moonlight. The cattle men finally dragged out their victim, and the passengers returned to the car, which was riddled with bullets, and whence loud screams were still issuing. These were uttered by an old lady who declared that she had been shot m the leg, but a medical examination disclosed the fact that she

was only suffering from the erects of a pin m the stocking. The fate of the gambler could not be learnt, but it is known for certain that he rode back to Ogallala on that mule with the rope coiled upon its saddle.